(AUDACY) The Cubs have lost 11 consecutive games, which has turned them from potential buyers into a team that's expected to sell of some of its veterans before the trade deadline on July 30.
Much of the focus if the Cubs decide to sell will be on the team's three iconic free agents-to-be: infielder/outfielder Kris Bryant, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and shortstop Javier Báez. But the player who's expected to garner more in return is star closer Craig Kimbrel, whom some across the MLB industry view as the most coveted player on the trade market.
Kimbrel, 33, recently received his eighth All-Star honor. He has posted a 0.59 ERA and 0.65 WHIP with 20 saves this season. It has been quite the resurgence for Kimbrel, who posted a 6.00 ERA in a combined 41 games across the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Now, the $16-million club/vesting option in Kimbrel's contract for 2022 could be an attraction for a team that potentially acquires him.
With all that in mind, here's a look at four contenders that could potentially be landing spots for perhaps the best reliever of his era.
Houston Astros
Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesOne anonymous MLB executive expects Kimbrel to with land either with the Astros or Oakland Athletics, Buster Olney of ESPN reported. The Astros enter action Wednesday at 53-33, 4.5 games ahead of the Athletics in the AL West. The Astros' bullpen ranks 15th in baseball in fWAR, so it's a group that could stand to be bolstered. If the Astros added one of the sport's elite relievers, they could return to the ALCS for a fifth consecutive season and perhaps make an even deeper run in October.
Oakland Athletics
Quinn Harris/Getty ImagesIt'll be interesting to see if the Athletics are willing to commit to Kimbrel from a financial sense as the AL is wide open. If Oakland added Kimbrel to a bullpen that currently has a 4.13 ERA, there's no reason it couldn't reach the World Series for the first time since 1990. And unless Kimbrel falls off a cliff in the second half of the season, the Athletics could probably trade him this offseason if they aren't interested in paying him $16 million in 2022. It's also possible that his 2022 option won't vest and they could decline his option for next season.
Boston Red Sox
Sean M. Haffey/Getty ImagesKimbrel struggled in the Red Sox's run to a World Series title in 2018, but he was an All-Star in each of his three seasons in Boston from 2016-'18, even finishing sixth in AL Cy Young voting in 2017. Matt Barnes is an All-Star in 2021 but would probably be willing to move back into a setup role if it allowed the Red Sox to reacquire Kimbrel. At 54-33, the Red Sox have the best record in the AL, so such a move probably would make quite a bit of sense for lead executive Chaim Bloom.
Atlanta Braves
Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesThis reunion is probably even less likely than one in Boston, but no team is running away with the NL East. So as disappointing as the Braves have been in going 41-44 entering play Wednesday, winning the division for a fourth consecutive season still isn't out of the question. If that's to happen, they'll have to upgrade the bullpen. Trading for Kimbrel -- who spent his first five seasons in Atlanta -- would give the Braves an upgrade at closer and allow them to move Will Smith into a setup role.
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